jpetrow wrote:It seems the coffee travel industry is years behind the well established wine travel industry. And probably for that reason information is quite scarce.

Comparing coffee to wine production is usually a mistake. Most great coffees are grown in beautiful, but very poor, regions. This is not Burgundy or Napa. The farmers are simply not equipped to host tourists. It is also a mistake to think that these growers only produce outstanding coffees. What you called "bulk" coffee also comes from the same farms and is critical to their survival.

For a sense of what travel to these remote, but wonderful, farms entails, I highly recommend Michael Weissman's book, "God in a Cup."

The SCAA tours are aimed at roasters, who get priority in booking. My suggestion would be to book your own tour at a farm that hosts tours and not worry so much about whether their coffee will meet your standards. Unless you buy in commercial quantities, it is unlikely you can export the coffee anyway. You will learn a great deal. Winter is harvest time in Central America, which is the best time to visit, if you can, because you will see the cherries being milled.